Vanilla Place Chiang Mai

... Bon Bon' they would reach up their trunks for a banana... So sweet. :) Lastly, we made our way to another part of the river for a 45 minute ride on a raft made of bamboo - Ken asked the guide if he could steer, which was peaceful for about ten minutes until we met some rapids, crashed into a rock and stopped moving. I thought we were going to fall in the river for sure, but Ken heroically manouvered us free, only to find that just around the bend was a waterfall...! We were advised to ...

... regenwoud. We begonnen met een bamboo raft van een niet zo spannend stroompje maar dankzij Anthony (een leraar uit New York) werd onze trip toch behoorlijk spannend, hij viel zelf 2 keer van de raft en wij vielen op de raft, 1 keer zaten we vast maar we hebben erg gelachen. Daarna begon de trek, het was een mooie tocht en in dit weer behoorlijk zwaar. Je zweet hier 24/7 en hoeft ook geen poging te doen dat ...

... shirt with the following printed on her back between her shoulder blades: "Who Needs Brains if You Have These?")<br><br>Here's a heads up to Asians--especially girls-who buy such clothes. If you don't fully comprehend English, take someone you trust shopping with you who does. I just saw a teen aged girl, dressed conservatively in flat shoes and jeans, no make-up, giggly and demure, wearing a shirt that ...

... it with disbelief. Suddenly Jungle Boy got a burst of energy and followed me up the rest of the trail opening his mouth wide and putting it close to my face to ask for more. Adorable! At the top we found an amazing shelter on stilts with 3 sleeping areas, a fire pit, and a kitchen where Pom and a local man were already starting dinner on 2 wood fire "burners". We watched the elephants disappear into the jungle and had coffee and hot ...

... intimidating to enter into a Tiger's cage and then proceed to pet them, lay on them and pose with them for photos. We all survived and were glad we went through with it considering it may very well be the first and last time we would ever be that close to a Tiger. Next we went to the Elephant Park. This was one of our highlights of our trip! Jim and Patty went on an elephant ride while Clint and I secured good seats for the elephant show. We had already ...

... itself was very powerful and cold, and gave a massaging feeling when stood underneath. We continued on to the village where we would stay the night. The food was cooked for us by the villagers, and it was one of the best meals I've had so far on my South East Asia tour. It is amazing how such simple produce can create a good a meal as you will find anywhere in the world. The villagers lived simply in wooden huts, and cooked in pots on the ...

... hours, as they were traveling in the hills. At their last village, they gathered with many other visitors for the celebration of a church dedication, and it was here that they had an unexpected experience. Terry, Jack, and Write Dee had just arrived at the village, parked, and removed their gear from the truck. Seconds later, the truck began to roll, and then careened down a 100-foot steep slope, jumped a ravine in the valley, and then bounced back over the ...

... dialects. The view from the village was ok but by that point I was pretty angry at the world and didn't really care. I think we were about a km high.<br><br>However it was an interesting experience staying there and I enjoyed all the times when I wasn't walking. The villagers came to join us after dinner with a guitar and were singing lots of pop songs, mainly english ones. They were really good!<br><br>I'm back in Chiang Mai now until the end of my trip.<br><br>

Pretty easy flight to Chiang Mai after our one hour delay. We are picked up at the airport by the hotel and we throw our stuff in the small room at the Lai Thai Guesthouse. We grab a red truck and head to the zoo. The zoo is pretty big. It was a long walk around the zoo, but we were fortunate to see many animals playing around. The main attraction here are the panda bears. <br> You actually have to buy a seperate ticket to get ...

... It is the best part of this trip I am sure. We feed the elephants, take an elephant ride in the jungle, see the elephants working, have lunch, go sailing with bamboo floating platforms.<br><br>We even have a 30 minute walk in the jungle and come to the village of LISU to see how these natives live.<br><br>On our way back we have a stop at a nice cataract where we step down and get some pictures. <br><br>This elephant safari will never be forgotten I am sure!